


A Table for Four

by Peggystormborn



Category: Agent Carter (TV), Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Post-Canon Fix-It, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:53:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27819319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peggystormborn/pseuds/Peggystormborn
Summary: Daisy and Sousa face a threat unlike anything they've ever seen, and their only lead on stopping it requires an unconventional trip to see an old friend...and, as it turns out, someone unexpected.
Relationships: Peggy Carter & Daniel Sousa, Peggy Carter & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers, Skye | Daisy Johnson/Daniel Sousa
Comments: 53
Kudos: 142





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I've done my best to reconcile the timelines. I know on AoS they ignored the Snap, but then they also sort of implied that Steve came back since Sousa and Peggy were no longer together by 1955. So in this version, the Snap did occur, but our heroes got extremely lucky and none of them ended up being among the dusted. I've also added in some canon fixes along the way, my head canons for things that never quite made sense to me.
> 
> This is my first MCU fic, hope you all enjoy!

"You're quite mad, do you know that?" Fitz glares at his wife, incredulously. 

"It's a perfectly reasonable…" Jemma endeavors to keep her voice even, her go-to defensive position in the face of her husband's quickly-ascending dander.

"Reasonable?!" he rebuts, voice dripping with sarcasm. "You think THIS is reasonable?!" He holds the offending item up at her, and she crosses her arms with a heavy sigh.

"I don't think it's inappropriate…"

"Inapp…" he scoffs, unable to even finish. "No….no, I'm putting my foot down."

"Which foot would that be?" she says with mock sweetness. 

"The one that bloody well isn't about to let my only child galavant around in that...thing."

"...and by 'thing', you mean the adorable miniature football jersey that Hunter and Bobbi sent for her birthday?"

"Just say 'shirt', you sound like a damn American."

"Fine. Shirt. And she loves it, so it stays."

"But it's _Liverpool_ , for God's sake. It's...no. Just no."

"You're just angry because she never plays with that ball you gave her."

"I'm not, because she's not _supposed_ to play with it. It's a _signed_ ball."

"Well then I don't see why you're complaining."

"Hunter just gave it to her to get under my skin."

"Well, silly him, since you're handling it _so_ calmly, hmm?"

"All right, enough." He groans, slamming his eyes shut and placing his hands on his hips. "Whatever, fine, let her sleep in the damn thing, I don't care."

"No, clearly not."

"Oh, ha ha…" he rolls his eyes, turning toward the living room. "Where is that little monkey, anyway? It's eerily quiet in this house."

"Yeah, that's never a good sign, is it?" Jemma concurs, glancing about in search of her offspring. 

"Mummy!" they hear, as if on cue, from their Perthshire front yard.

"Oh good, she's unlocking the front door without telling us now. That's fun," Fitz grumps, moving to look out their bay window.

"Now I know where Deke got his, uh, adventurous spirit...let's say…"

"Yeah, from you."

"Me?!"

"Oh, don't get all offended. It's not like she's...wh...what the…" he stops, transfixed by the sight of three people standing on his lawn. 

From her spot behind their empty birdbath, Daisy waves, clutching the child's hand with one of her gauntleted arms. Sousa, for his part, just stands there with his hands in his pockets, wearing his patented Sousa-esque smile they've come to know so well. 

"I'll go put the tea kettle on," Jemma sighs. 

********

"This thing, it's…" Sousa struggles for a word that fits, so he turns his head expectantly at his better half, as they sip Earl Grey around the Fitzsimmons kitchen table.

"...It's like nothing we've ever seen. Which, you know, is saying a lot." Daisy shrugs, her ostensible confidence belying the fact that her stomach has been doing backflips since she first laid eyes on the footage of this...whatever it was. At least, she assumes that's the reason.

"All you can really see is a...like a shadow, kinda," Sousa explains. "But...a human shadow."

Daisy nods. "Except normal shadows don't kill every living thing in their path. I mean normal shadows...don't really _have_ a path of their own. Being shadows and all." 

"Whatever it was, it could pass through solid objects. Then...crumble them into dust. Not to mention wither every plant, turn every animal in its wake into a dried up husk." Sousa shudders at the thought.

"It was terrifying. We don't know what the hell it is, where it came from, what it wants, or how the hell to stop it. It's just this... _thing_ that comes and goes wherever, and destroys everything in its wake."

She hands the tablet over to Fitz, and he stares at the images playing over the screen. The phantom moving down a street, pedestrians wilting left and right as it passes. Another shot of it in a hotel corridor, wallpaper blackening at its approach. Then the strangest one of all, a ballet performance, tutued dancers running about at the sight of it, only to be swallowed by its dark aura. 

"This... doesn't remind you of anything?" Fitz quirks an eyebrow at his friends. 

"Should it?" Daisy asks. 

"Russia," he gestures at her with one hand while flopping the tablet down onto the tablecloth. "That General. He could summon those…Darkforce beings. They looked just like that. Shadows."

"I thought of that, but...those things were tied to one inhuman, and we haven't been able to find any connection at all between these locations or the victims. No motive at all, it's just...random. Plus...you know, this thing is like...a cloud of death with a chewy humanoid center. Not a figure that manifests so it can punch you."

"Maybe not," Fitz elaborates. "But…even without having a chance to do any analysis in the field or run any simulations, I still think this is probably Darkforce at work. The apparition nature of the thing, its transience, and look…you see those lines emanating from around the specter? The black smoky ones? They look an awful lot like the ones that came out of Marcus Daniels."

"That...that sounds familiar," Daisy tilts her head, trying to place it.

"It was the Fridge escapee who went after Coulson's ex. The cellist, in Portland." He looks up at them. "I mean the ex was a cellist, not the madman after her."

"We gathered that, darling," Jemma pats his arm lovingly.

Daisy takes a deep breath, taking back the tablet and gazing at the carousel of images. "Right. I wasn't there, I was busy finding out the guy I'd just gotten involved with was a psycho murderer slash traitor. Good times." 

"You mean that Ward guy?" Sousa raises an eyebrow, recalling his lengthy debrief with Mack and Coulson to catch him up with SHIELD history since 1955. The virtual tour included some unfortunate security videos of a certain traitor Hydra operative and his disturbing fixation on Daisy…Sousa shakes off the uncomfortable thought, before rage starts to build in him. After all, the man is long dead. 

_Still..._

"Tell you what, that guy's damn lucky I died before he was born...and then was dead before I stopped being dead." He crosses his arms as the others stare at him. "You all know what I mean." 

"Yes we do, babe." Daisy leans over with a smile and pecks him on the cheek. "Although for what it's worth, I do hope Deke in that alternate universe does some early intervention for little boy Ward and his kid brother. Their family life sounded _way_ worse than any of my crappy foster homes. Which is saying something." 

Ire draining from him, Sousa squeezes her hand and gazes at her with admiration, earning him a shy smile. Even after all she's been though, all the universe and everyone in it has put her through, compassion is still her first impulse.

_Girls like her sure don't come around every day, do they_? he muses to himself. _Maybe once or twice in a lifetime, if you're lucky._

_And boy, did I get lucky._

"So...what exactly is Darkforce?" Sousa asks, coming out of his reverie.

"Right," Fitz rubs his head. "You would have known it as Zero Matter. It's extra dimensional energy…"

"...Yeah, I uh...I remember." his voice is solemn. He recalls his encounters with the substance. What it can do. How it can kill. That girl in the frozen lake. What happened to Dr. Wilkes. _The Rift_ …he shudders at the thought.

"We had a case…" he starts.

"...The Whitney Frost incident, right," Jemma chimes in. "I recall from those old SSR files. In fact, you might be the resident expert here. You've come across Zero Matter more than any of us."

Sousa frowns. "I don't know if expert is the right term, but I've seen the stuff in action. Up close. A little too close, frankly. So if it's involved in what's happening, we might be in real trouble."

"How'd you stop it back then?" Daisy wonders.

"Uh, we shoved the core of a gamma cannon into the rift." 

"How'd you avoid getting sucked in yourself?" Fitz wonders.

"Howard had his own version of Lola."

"Wow," Daisy snarks. "Don't tell Coulson, he might go into mourning."

Her husband chuckles amiably. "So...if this thing is some form of Zero Matter, we can just use gamma rays to neutralize it, then, right?" Sousa looks expectantly at his friends. "I mean I'm sure you have some high tech gamma….whozits, don't you?" 

"We do," Jemma glances at her husband. "But we don't have a way to track it, or predict where it will pop up next." 

"Yeah, and the range...it's bizarre," Daisy says, picking the tablet back up. "Most of the sightings have been in southern California, but there were also a couple in New York, for some reason. We don't know if it's random or if this thing is picking specific targets. If only…" she trails off. 

"What?" Sousa asks, tilting his head.

"This just...feels like the kind of thing Robbie maybe could help with."

"Robbie Reyes?" Jemma wonders.

"It makes sense," Fitz pipes in. "He's connected to the Darkforce through that...thing."

Jemma sighs. "But he might be difficult to contact, given…"

"That he lives in a hell dimension?" Daisy finishes. 

"Wait...what? What thing? What hell dimension?" Sousa looks at his wife with mild horror. 

"He's a good guy. But he's sorta possessed by this…flaming skull demon whatever." Daisy gestures nonchalantly. 

"Don't you _hate_ when that happens?" Sousa deadpans at his wife. 

"Cute," she snarks back. "Now come on, I think I have an idea.

********

The screen door clatters open slightly when Daisy bangs on it, the clasp failing to catch properly in the latch. 

"Damn. I meant to get that fixed last time I was here," Daisy castigates herself.

"Do you stop by often?" Sousa wonders. 

"It's been too long," she sighs. "We were away, and we've been busy. I know Mack sends an agent over once in a while to check in, but I...I should be doing a better job of making time. I promised Robbie I'd look after him but...you know. The superhero life and all..." 

"You're only one person, Daisy," he rubs the shoulder of her leather jacket tenderly, eliciting a small smile. 

"I'm coming," they hear from within. "Just give me a second." 

"Take your time, Gabriel," she says through the door. When it finally opens, the proprietor of the estate smiles warmly. 

"Sup, Quake. Long time no see."

"I know. I'm sorry. How are you?" 

"Can't complain," the wheelchair-bound young man shrugs as he ushers them inside and points them toward seats at the kitchen table. "Though my Physics professor is a real hardass. Or he was, until someone told him who my Uncle was. Changed his tune _real_ quick."

"I'll bet." Daisy chuckles. "Hey listen, I wish I could say this is just a social visit, but…"

"Let me guess. Robbie?"

"We need his help. Me and my, uh, husband here. Daniel." 

Gabriel smiles and side-eyes Sousa, who waves sheepishly. "Husband, huh? Is he as dorky as he looks?" the young man mutters, nodding in Daniel's direction. 

" _Much_ more so," Daisy stifles a grin. 

"You two know I can hear you, right?" Sousa raises an eyebrow. 

Daisy winks at him, then turns back to the younger Reyes brother. "So listen...can I borrow the keys to the Charger?" 

Gabriel's eyes widen, but he points to the key hook on the far wall. "Your funeral," he shrugs. 

********

"It's fine, don't worry," Daisy gives Sousa a quick peck on the lips before opening the shiny metal door and sliding into the driver's seat. 

"You sure I shouldn't come with?" he says with trepidation. "I may still be figuring out all your fancy SHIELD tech, but I _do_ know how to drive a car."

"Something tells me I won't be going far," Daisy smiles at him. "Just stay put."

"Wait, wait...in case you're about to do what I'm very much afraid you're about to do...does this beast have those...air bag things?" 

"Nope! Bye, babe!" The engine roars to life, and Daisy peels out down the driveway. To both men's shock, however, she fails to turn either left or right onto the main road, but instead zooms ahead toward an alley across the way. 

An alley that terminates within a few hundred feet in a dead end. 

A dead end and a thick concrete wall. 

Daniel stops breathing as she approaches the point of no return, bracing for the inevitable impact and fumbling for the fancy cell phone she gave him that he rarely uses except for emergencies. Like the one that's about to happen.

Suddenly, there's a flash of light, the screech of tires, and the odor of burnt rubber. Along with burnt...other things. 

Just as she'd described, a figure with a flaming skull and a matching fiery chain stands in front of the still-running but now stationary vehicle. 

After a moment, while Sousa gawks at the sight of his wife emerging unscathed from what should have been a pile of flaming wreckage to casually chat with this...whatever in God's name he is…the flames sputter out, leaving behind a man with short dark hair and an even darker look on his face.

" _Damn_ , woman," the pissed-off mystery man says. "Who in the _hell_ taught you to drive?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daisy and Sousa get... something that passes for a clue.

"I'm sorry about this," Daisy apologizes as their new arrival backs his car into its former position in the garage and covers it with a sheet for good measure. "I wouldn't have come if I had any other choice."

"You're here about the darkness." Robbie states this as a fact, not a question. 

"...Yeah." Daisy sighs. "Can you...see it? Feel it? From where you are?" 

"Can't help but." He shrugs as he turns to her, leaning against his prized possession. "I don't know what it is, if that's what you're asking. But it's...angry. I think it's been stuck somewhere. Trapped for a long time."

"Trapped how?" 

"My best guess? In a soul."

"There's a sentient dark entity that's been trapped inside someone's soul?" Sousa marvels. 

"Wouldn't be the first time," Robbie shrugs. 

"But now it's out?" Daisy asks. "How?"

"Only one way. Death." He looks directly at her, as though she should already know this.

Daisy's eyebrows knit together. "So what...it was stuck inside a person? And then they died?"

"Maybe. Like I said, it's just a guess. But it's what I got. Well, that...and a message. Which didn't make much sense to me until now." 

"Message? What message?" Daisy steps towards him, with a mixture of curiosity and concern. 

"It's, uh... someone reached out to me. From the other side. The good side."

"Good side of what?"

"Where I'm from."

"Are you...are you talking about Heaven?" she wonders, incredulous.

"Call it what you want, but…it's where people like you go. When they leave here."

"Wow." Daisy shakes her head, trying to wrap her mind around the idea. "So...someone dead...someone _good_ …sent you a message? Well…who was it from? What did it say?" 

"It said 'Come find me, I'll step down off the pedestal and put the coffee on.'"

"What?" Daisy scoffs. "That's...I have absolutely no idea what that could possibly mean."

"That's 'cause the message wasn't for you. It was for him." He nods his chin in Daniel's direction. 

"Me?!" Sousa balks. 

"Yeah. You. The _other_ man out of time. Gotta say, Quake, wouldn't have pegged you as the marrying type. You always had a heavy 'lone wolf' kinda vibe."

"Yeah, well, people change." She glares at him.

"I can see that. And I don't just mean losing the whole goth look with the black makeup and fishnet sleeves thing." He gestures in the general direction of her face, and she blushes slightly. "You look good, though. Like this."

She turns to her husband, who sports his patented Sousa quizzical look. "I was...going through some stuff." She looks down and shuffles her feet slightly.

Her spouse reaches over and rubs her shoulder, his confusion melting into that knowing look she loves. 

"So…" she starts, snapping out of the moment. "Does that mean anything to you?" 

"Not really," Sousa admits. "I mean it could have been someone I knew during the war...or my SSR days, but whoever it was, he…" 

"...I never said it was a _he_ ," Robbie interjects. 

Daniel cocks his head, staring at the younger man as the pieces click into place. "Oh my God…" 

"What?" Daisy asks. 

"...It's Peggy." 

"...Wow. Okay. Are you sure?" 

"Yeah...yeah, pretty sure." 

She sees the resolve in his face, tinged with a shadow of grief. "All right. Well...you know what this means." 

His wistful visage morphs quickly into one of horror. "No...no, not again. You remember what happened last time." 

"What happened was I found _you._ " She musters a smile, turning towards him and entwining her fingers in his.

" _And_ we created an alternate timeline where we left Deke in charge of whatever's left of S.H.I.E.L.D." 

"Yeah, well…like I said, he's probably using his future knowledge for good. At least...I hope. Maybe he'll even stop...you know…" 

"Thanos?" 

"Maybe. He knows about the stones. About what's coming. Coulson left him a flash drive with our records. Our history. The Avengers, Inhumans, the Kree. All of it." 

"If he's not too busy being a Rock God." 

"Be nice." 

"I'm always nice."

She stares him down, with no small amount of skepticism. After all, he and Deke weren't really enemies, but they weren't exactly friends either. Deke could be incredibly obtuse at times, but he likely saw the sparks between her and her now-husband well before anyone on the Zephyr was willing to acknowledge them. And Deke...well, Deke was at his heart a good person. But he was always going to be the guy that didn't get the girl. 

"Daisy, come on." Sousa huffs. "Earth's mightiest heroes couldn't stop Thanos, but you think _Deke_ will?"

Daisy has no retort, but gives an exaggerated shrug.

"Hey," Robbie butts in. "If y'all are done, can I go back to Hell now?"

"Uh...yeah," Daisy laughs lightly. "You've been a big help, thanks." 

He pushes back from the Charger, glancing once more at it with a sigh. "Nice to see you again," he says softly. 

"You talking to me or the car?" she asks, over her shoulder.

"Both." He doesn't look at her, so Daisy takes her cue to more firmly grab her husband's hand and turn to walk away. 

"Hey Quake…" 

She pivots back towards him, though he still faces away from her, his fingers gripping the flimsy tarp protecting the shiny black object of what passes for his affection.

"That stuff...the stuff you went through." 

"...Yeah?" 

"He's okay. He's at peace. And he's happy for you." 

"Wh...what?" Her breath catches. "Who?" 

"...You _know_ who." 

The tears are streaming down her cheeks before her conscious mind can even process what he means. 

"I just...I thought you should know," he finishes, quietly. 

"...Thank you, Robbie. Really." 

"You're welcome. Now stay the hell away from my car." 

********

"I don't like it," the older woman glares across the table at her protégé. 

Daisy stares back, mirroring her mentor's total lack of expression. "I'm shocked. This is my shocked face."

"It's a risk, sure, but a calculated one," Coulson says, ignoring them both.

"And you'd be the expert on calculation I guess," Sousa quips, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Funny." He cocks his head at his surrogate daughter. "He's a funny one. Remind me again why we didn't leave him in 1955?"

"Because you took one look at him and your 'prospective Son-in-law' radar went off," Daisy bites back. 

Coulson shrugs. "I'd argue, but…that's largely accurate."

"Dessert's up!" An older man says, briskly entering from the kitchen and interrupting their moment of levity. He plunks down a large tray of piping hot lightly browned cubes covered in powdered sugar. 

"Dad, we're in the middle of something," May shoots her father William a pointed look, which is quickly undermined by the other three members of the party reaching to load their plates with batter fried watermelony goodness. 

"You all weren't too busy to shovel down those soup dumplings I spent all evening making for you. Which reminds me. Next time I'm in town, Daisy, I'll come by and teach you how to cook them. And baozi, too. You're half-chinese, it's long past time you learned how to cook traditional food."

"...Yeah, uh, I've managed to ruin boiled instant ramen before, so good luck with that," Daisy retorts, popping a still-too-hot chunk of melon into her mouth, causing her to hastily gulp down the last dregs of her beer. 

"It's true," Sousa adds. "I've seen it. It's not pretty."

William rolls his eyes and gestures dismissively at the lot of them, grabbing his own plate before heading into the living room to watch baseball. 

"Are you really on board with this?" May turns to Sousa. "Robbie's word isn't much to go on. And the clue itself is...next to _nothing_ to go on. Plus, aside from messing with the timeline, you're okay with... seeing... _her_? Again?"

Sousa shrugs half-heartedly. "Yeah. It'll be fine. Honestly, it might be nice. To let her know I didn't die. Well...at least for a little while, anyway, until we have to wipe her memory."

"Yeah, about that…" Daisy ventures. "What do we do if she doesn't want to submit to impromptu memory erasure administered by her ex-boyfriend?"

"No, I know her. She'll do the right thing. Trust me."

She holds takes his hand in her own. "I always trust you. We've got each other's backs, right?" 

"Damn right."

"Oof. You kiss your mother with that mouth?" she snarks.

"My mother died in 1938, but I kiss my wife with it just fine." He leans over to do just that, causing Coulson and May to roll their eyes. 

"All right, Honeymooners," Coulson sighs. "We support you. But you're going to have to clear it with big brother." 

"Already sent him our plan, waiting for him to review," Daisy explains. "He's, uh, a little busy these days. You know, helicarriers and whatnot." 

"And Yo-yo," Sousa adds. When the others raise and eyebrow he adds "What? They're trying for a baby, right? I mean I know it's not saving the world exactly but it requires some time and attention. And luck." 

Daisy shifts in her seat and clears her throat. "Yeah...anyway, I'm sure he'll okay it, he just needs a day or two." 

"Right," Coulson side-eyes her. "Just give him a little time."

********

Everything seems normal as she wakes, in her own bed, in her own house. 

Although...house. _How is_ that _normal_? she thinks. After all, she's never before lived in a house that was really a home for her. It has four strong walls. A roof with shingles and everything. A bathroom that's not shared by seven other people. A dresser and closet full of her own stuff, instead of everything stuffed in a foot locker or a duffel bag. There's even an office. An office! Not some makeshift corner where she can click away on a laptop with her feet up, but a space of her own where she can work... _not_ with her feet up, if her husband has anything to say about it. Which he typically doesn't. 

Most of all, it's the first place she's lived in a long time that doesn't have wheels. Or wings. Or cadres of agents strolling around outside her door waiting for orders. It's a place that's hers. No, not hers. _Theirs_. Full of furniture they picked together, during a few trips to the weird and surreal particle board wonderland that is IKEA. There's a mantle over an actual fireplace with photos of their loved ones on the walls (even some old shots of his parents and SSR friends they'd managed to dig up thanks to this new-fangled internet thing he finds so fascinating). Not to mention the guest room where her sister stays when she's not at Afterlife helping rebuild. Which, they're both a little thankful, she's doing at the moment. They've been hoping to finally get some alone time.

But not this morning, unfortunately.

"Well, hello, sleepyhead," she hears a strange voice inches from her face just as her eyes flutter open. 

For a moment, there's panic. She sits up like a shot, hand out, ready to quake the intruder. 

"Nice to see you, too, love," the voice chuckles, as a man with a British accent crosses his arms over his chest. 

" _Jesus_ , Hunter!" she sighs, with excessive exasperation. "I nearly just quaked you to death."

"Worth it," he smiles with a smugness that half makes her want to make good on her threat.

She groans and turns to Sousa. Who has already grabbed his sidearm from the night stand and is pointing it at the man in a leather jacket inexplicably standing in their bedroom first thing in the morning. 

"Friend of yours?" he says, turning his head toward his wife while keeping an eye (and his gun) trained on...whoever this is. 

"More like...you know how Fitz and Jemma and Yo-yo and Mack are like my siblings?" 

"Right…?" he responds.

"Well, this is Lance Hunter. He's like the annoying cousin that drops in on occasion." Sousa nods, lowering his weapon. 

"At your service," Lance doffs an imaginary hat, exaggerating his accent. "Although I'm not, really. Disavowed and all that." 

"Why are you _here_ then?" Daisy grumps. 

"What? A man can't break into an old friend's house at the crack of dawn just to say hello any more? Who's your bloke, by the way?" he nods in Sousa's direction. 

"You figured out where I live but you didn't know I was _married?_ " Daisy says incredulously. 

"You're...are you _serious?_ I thought Bobbi was joking about that." His eyes bug at her, as he looks back and forth between the two of them. "Well, bloody hell, congrats! I just figured you'd finally got a shag. Good to meet you, mate." He reaches out his hand to Sousa, who eyes him warily.

"Not that I'm opposed to niceties," he clears his throat. "But uh...maybe we can save them for when I've got some clothes on? And...maybe my leg, too?"

Daisy looks down, realizing the after a night of fun the two of them are wearing nothing but the bedsheet and comforter. Daisy sighs, relieved she'd instinctively thought to hold them up with one hand.

"Right," Hunter says with absolutely no acknowledgement of their predicament. "What's for breakfast?"

********

Breakfast is Sousa's specialty, luckily, and after years of bachelor-dom (and a lot of time eating glorified k-rations aboard the Zephyr) he takes particular joy in cooking eggs, bacon and French toast for his wife. 

And today...for _this_ guy. He hands Hunter a cup of coffee and plunks down across from him, still slightly annoyed. This new threat aside, they've only recently returned from deep space, still newlyweds, and they haven't even had a chance to plan a honeymoon. He'd proposed more or less on a whim just after a harrowing escape from some Kree scouts on a planet just outside the Novacorps Red Line. 

He couldn't help it. She's his everything. Stars in his skies. Even as the words "Marry me" left his lips as he was gazing into her eyes to make sure she was okay, he couldn't believe he was finally saying it out loud. 

Even more amazingly, she'd said "yes."

As soon as they'd returned, she'd dragged everyone down to the beach and they'd said their vows, with Jemma as Maid of Honor and Mack as Best Man. Coulson officiated, of course. 

He wasn't complaining about how things had turned out. It just might be nice to take a break from all the craziness and just…BE. Together. For a little while.

"So…Mack gave us the go-ahead?" Daisy says. 

"He did, yeah," Hunter mumbles in between bites of his toast.

"Why didn't he just call me?" 

"Probably because he's pretty damn busy being Director-man. He said he'll set up some time to catch up with you when you come in for debrief." 

"I just...no offense but I don't get why he sent you. You're not even an agent any more." 

"Uh... _some_ offense taken. And he's...you know, brought me and Bobbi back into the fold a bit. Since things are a bit wild...and S.H.I.E.L.D. is...rather understaffed, you know."

There's silence for a few moments. They don't talk about it much, though it's a big part of what's kept the agency so busy over the past few years. 

_The Snap_. It had miraculously spared everyone in their little family, against all odds. But the rest of the world was still reeling. Still grieving. The Avengers had failed them all. Not that it was their fault. No one, no matter how powerful, could have possibly withstood a surprise attack from a being with such unfathomable power. By the time Thanos showed up, he was already unstoppable.

Even so, Daisy can't help but wonder. _If I hadn't been busy protecting the world from Talbot and his gravitonium tentacles...could I have made a difference? Would my power have tipped the scales?_

No sense in speculating. It's done, and the world isn't going back to how it was. Nothing to do but keep moving forward, keep fighting the good fight.

"So…" Hunter finally breaks the ice. "You're really going back in time? Again?" 

"Guess so," Sousa says, turning to Daisy. "But I mean…we don't have to go back right this second, do we? We could…take a little time for ourselves, couldn't we?" 

She wonders at this. Does he not want to see... _her_ ? Or is he balking because he _does_ want to? "But babe, if that thing comes back again…who knows how many people it might kill? And our goal here is not to do what we did last time. No big timeline changes, no splitting off into some new messed up future. Everything as it was."

"Right. Ripples, not waves," he nods.

"Exactly. Let's just get it taken care of, in and out, before things start spiraling out of control. But relax, at least this time it's just us, we won't be following on the heels of murderous alien robots."

"Right, don't you hate those wankers? Always mucking things up." Hunter's attempt at humor goes unacknowledged, so he shrugs and moves on. "So...what year did you pick, then?"

"1992," Daisy explains. "She'll have just permanently retired from S.H.I.E.L.D. at 71, so there's less risk of messing up her work. And it's before…um…" She looks awkwardly at her husband.

"...Before she started exhibiting symptoms of dementia," Sousa elaborates. "At least, we're pretty sure. The records of her post-retirement years are kind of sparse for some reason. But best we can tell, she spent most of her time at home with her husband. _Whoever_ he was." Daisy thinks she hears the slightest tinge of bitterness at the mention of Mr. Peggy Carter. But she chooses to shake it off. 

"Bit of a trip, eh?" Hunter sits back and crosses his arms over his chest. "That they kept her husband's identity a secret all those years. Even from the Agency. I hear tell even Fury didn't know who the hell he was." 

"Well, being a woman in charge of a major intelligence service is bound to make you some enemies," Sousa quips. "At least, that was the thought back in my day." 

"Or maybe it was _him_ ," Daisy shrugs. 

"What do you mean?" Sousa asks.

"Maybe whoever he was...needed hiding for other reasons than being married to the founder of the organization. After all, Maria Stark's identity wasn't a secret, and Howard was co-running things by Peggy's side the whole time." 

There's silence as the three of them ponder this. 

"Huh…" Sousa's eyes narrow.

"Right." Hunter wipes his mouth with a napkin and plunks it onto his empty plate. "Well, lovely to see you both, thanks for the meal, and good luck with your timey wimey adventure. Do try not to crack the world in half while you're at it." 

********

They step out of the cloaked quinjet into an empty field and total darkness, as Daisy feels a swarm of butterflies take off in her stomach. She wonders how much of it is normal mission jitters and how much is…who the target of this particular mission happens to be. She hazards a glance over at her spouse. _Will he feel any different when he sees her?_ _Would I, if it were Lincoln?_

She sees their target about half a click away, just barely silhouetted against the night sky.

They approach the house as quietly as they can, hiding behind a shed in the backyard. It feels strangely still…no breeze, no singing birds or chirping insects, despite the fairly remote location of the Carter residence. Sousa places a large case on the grass, opening it to reveal a set of four drones. He inputs the code to activate them, and watches as they ascend from the first to the second floor, searching the perimeter of the home for any open windows. Finding none, they rise further, descending one by one down the chimney, to position themselves near the door to the master bedroom, where they'll release a concentrated dendrotoxin gas, meant to ensure anyone in the house--sleeping or not--stays out like a light for the next hour or so. 

"It's about time you got here," a somewhat gravelly voice from behind them says. "And you're not going to need _those_ ," Daisy springs reflexively into action, spinning around to swing at the shadowy figure, while Sousa grabs his icer. He hears the blocks and blows of their brief tussle, punctuated by what he can barely make out as his wife executing a flying scissor kick to take down...whoever this is. 

"Whoa!" the figure says, from the ground, only slightly winded from the fight he just lost, and the weight of Daisy's foot on his solar plexus. "Stand down soldier, we're on the same team," he grunts.

"Who are you?" Daisy says quietly. 

"Just a guy who'd prefer you not poison my wife."

"W-wait, hold on…" Daisy pulls a flashlight from her utility belt, and shines it on an older gentleman, lying before her, and cocks her head to one side as she attempts to place him. She's certain she's never met this man before and yet...his voice…

"...Oh, my God," she says at last. "You're Steve Rogers." She slowly turns to look at her husband, who's staring, speechless, at their new acquaintance. 

Daisy removes her boot from his chest, allowing him to sit up, and he exhales, placing his arms atop his knees. "And you're Daisy Johnson," he nods with a smile and extends his hand, though Daisy isn't sure whether to shake it or help him up. "Nice to finally meet you. Come on in and meet the missus, we've already got a pot of coffee on." 

As if on cue, the back porch light turns on, and a grey-haired woman in a Kelly green robe emerges, screen door swinging open as she trains a shotgun at the trio. 

"Hands in the air!" she says, cocking the gun. "And toss me your weapons." 

"Peg, it's okay," Steve says, finally picking himself up off the ground. "Put the gun down."

"Steve?" she questions, with audible exasperation. "What in the bloody hell are you doing out here in the middle of the night? And who in God's name _are_ these people?" 

Sighing heavily, Sousa steps out of the shadow and into the light. 

"Hi, Peggy," he croaks. "It's been a long time…"

"...Daniel…" comes her breathless reply, as the shotgun clatters to the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I didn't mean to get theological, but I figure if the MCU can have some version of hell, it's not that out there that there might be a version of heaven, too. And I really wanted Daisy to have some closure on Lincoln. 
> 
> I am also head canoning that Lincoln and Peggy have met in heaven, and like to check in on what their exes are up to. 
> 
> Hey, it's my story.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our four heroes sit down for a rather interesting chat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Full disclosure: I had a lot of trouble watching Endgame because it seemed extremely out of character for Steve to have gone back and not done anything to intervene in all the terrible things he knew were coming. I know some folks have postulated that he actually created an alt timeline, but given the writers (Markus and McFeeley) said the kids in Peggy's photos were always Steve's, we have to assume this was a loop, and he didn't branch into a new timeline. So I'm using AoS rules: they're making ripples here, not waves. What's happening here is what always happened.

The sounds of the argument are muffled by the kitchen door, but the words being screamed resonate though clear as day.

"I'm _sick_ of this, Steve!" 

"I know…"

"I _know_ you know! It just...it never _ends_!" 

"This was the price. The price we paid to be together." 

"Well it was too damn high!" 

"Tell that to our grandchildren." 

"Don't you throw _them_ in my face just now. You know that's not what I meant. I just...I bloody _hate_ this!"

"So do I. But this is bigger than both of us. The timeline has to stay as it was, otherwise…" 

"...I know, I _know_ , damn it. The younger you might not fix the terrible thing that happened. Whatever in heaven's name _that_ might be." 

"Worse than you can imagine." 

"Yes, you've said that before."

"And I meant it." 

"...Damn you and your…honesty. And your _lack_ of honesty."

"You've said _that_ before."

"Oh, shut up." 

Cap does just that, and the duo still sitting at the kitchen table look at each other with concern. Tinged with no small amount of guilt. 

Finally, she squeaks out. "Just tell me this. Did you know? About him?" 

"No," he answers. "He was a surprise. I didn't know he was coming and I didn't know he was alive. I was only expecting her."

"...Alright, then," she says with some fatigue. The door swings open, and she enters the kitchen first, pulls out a chair, and sits. "So…can I get you lot anything?" 

Daniel half-smiles and points to the coffee cup already in his hand. 

"Right," Peggy chuckles, without any real mirth. "Well...I suppose you can start by introducing me to...uh…" her gaze shifts to Daisy. 

"This is Agent Daisy Johnson of S.H.I.E.L.D.," he says matter-of-factly. "My wife." 

Wearing a look of shock, she stares blankly at Daisy, who smiles sheepishly and gives a feeble wave with her gauntleted hand. 

"She's quite the fighter," Cap compliments as he settles into his own seat and starts pouring a mug for himself. "I mean I'm not quite what I used to be, but it still takes a bit of doing to knock Captain America on his ass." 

" _Verrry_ sorry about that," Daisy says, a little nervously. "And I'm sorry we're here...you know, interrupting your life. We wouldn't have come if it wasn't important." 

"You wouldn't have come...from the future…" Peggy clarifies. "The same future that Steve's from."

"Well, not exactly," Cap volunteers. "I came back in 2023, and they're from, what, 2020?"

"...That's how you knew we'd be here…" Daisy infers. 

"Right, I, uh...never stopped keeping tabs on all the goings on at S.H.I.E.L.D., even after...well, _you_ know." 

Peggy huffs, her dander up. "Yet another of the many things he can't tell me." 

"So you...you know he came back from the future, and what...he just…keeps it all to himself?" Daisy marvels. 

"Pretty much," Cap says. "It's been...challenging." 

" _Challenging?!_ " Peggy bites, then composes herself as she pours creamer into her own cup of joe. "I'd use a very different word."

"Peg…" Sousa ventures. "It's not his fault we came back, please…" 

"...Don't get me started on _you_ ," Peggy snaps. "Going and dying on me, then plunking yourself back into my life after all these years as though nothing happened."

"Look, Peg…" Daniel starts, "I'm sorry, really, but it's not like I could have picked up a phone, you know…"

"And _you_ …" she turns towards Daisy, eyes practically drilling through the younger woman's head. "You're the one that plucked him out of time, did you?" 

Daisy shifts uncomfortably in her seat. "Technically it wasn't my call, but...yes. We had a save the world-y kind of mission, and we were trying to preserve the timeline and...the history books said that…" 

The former head of S.H.I.E.L.D. rises from her chair, an imposing figure despite her small stature, and slams her hands on the table. " _Damn_ history and _damn_ all of you." 

"I'm sorry," she says, voice thick with emotion, after a few moments of stunned silence. She sits back down slowly, and Daisy sees that her hands are shaking just a little. "It's...it's not you all I'm upset with. Not really. It's just…a few months ago..." 

"...They already know, Peg." He speaks these words quietly. Solemnly. And with visible regret.

Daisy looks at them with confusion...until it dawns on her. "Oh my God…I'm...I'm so sorry, we didn't even think about…" 

"...Howard and Maria…" Sousa finishes slamming his eyes shut and cringing. "Damn it. I should have been the one to...I mean he was my friend, too…when I read about what happened…" 

"It's all right," Steve reassures, giving their guests a pointed look. "Let's...not dwell on it…" 

"Not _dwell_ on it?" Peggy stares at her husband, incredulous. "My best friend and his wife are dead, which my own husband knew was coming and did _nothing_ about, and now their son is left all alone, and according to you I'm supposed to just...stay out of his life? Hmm? And watch while he suffers, and makes terrible decisions and…" 

"...Yes. You _have_ to. Because those terrible decisions inform the man he'll become one day. And besides, he's not alone, the Jarvises are there for him. They practically raised him anyway. And don't forget, he may still be young but he's not a little boy, he's an adult."

"I'm his bloody _godmother_ , for heaven's sake!" 

"Peg, I get that you feel guilty. But it's not your fault Howard was a lousy father."

Peggy says nothing, but stares at her mug with an indiscernible look on her face--grief, frustration, rage, all of the above. 

Daisy takes a deep breath. "For what it's worth, as someone who grew up in the future where Tony Stark...uh…does what he does, I have to say I agree with Cap." 

"So do I," Sousa chimes in. "And believe me, I've seen what can happen when time travel goes awry…and it's not pretty." 

"Then why are you here? If it's so dangerous?" Peggy asks, with more than a hint of disdain. 

"There's something we're trying to fight, in our time, we got sort of a cryptic message about it from…uh…" Daisy looks to her husband for corroboration, now that they're actually here and realizing how insane all this sounds.

"...From _you_ ," he completes her sentence. " _Future_ you."

Peggy's gaze changes, her interest piqued. "Well what did it say?" 

"Just...to come find you." 

"That's all?" Peggy looks at them, incredulous. "You show up here, muck with time, beat up my husband... because you heard some future version of me say so? How do you know the message was even really from me?" 

Sousa shrugs. "We don't. But we're desperate. And it...involves zero matter."

"...Dear God…" is her reply. 

********

After two cups of coffee each and a lengthy description of the dark threat at hand, it's collectively decided this particular conversation necessitates something slightly stronger, so Cap pulls out a few wine glasses and retrieves a bottle of red from the basement.

"Agent Johnson?" he half-smiles, handing a glass to Daisy. 

"Uh, thank you. But no…" she shakes her head. "I once found out the hard way that intoxication and superpowers really don't mix." 

Sousa gives her an odd look, but takes the glass instead. "So...does that mean anything to you, Peg?" 

"Does what?" she takes a rather large gulp of the wine while rubbing one of her temples, and tries to focus. 

"The dark being," Cap clarifies. 

She shrugs. "Why on earth would it? I've never seen anything like that before. At least nothing Daniel here hasn't borne equal witness to." 

"We just thought…" Daisy deflates. "...We thought there could be something redacted, something that we wouldn't have in our files."

"I'm sorry, but no," she states simply. "I'm afraid you've come here for nothing." 

"That can't be true," Cap says, turning to her. "I already know this mission is successful, so there's got to be something they find or figure out while they're here."

Peggy shrugs, nonplussed, and takes a sip from her glass. "Well unless there's something else they can tell me, I'm at a loss."

They sit in awkward silence for possibly a full minute, until Cap breaks the tension. "How about I put on some music, huh?" He goes through the door, opens the shutters that divide the kitchen from the living room, and puts on an old 45 of Glenn Miller Orchestra on the Victrola. 

"You guys do know that it's the nineties and CDs now exist, right?" Daisy jokes when he returns. 

"Well, nineties kid, I'd put on some Britney Spears for you, but I left behind my cell with all my music downloads in The 21st century," he deadpans. "And I think the lady herself is probably still in elementary school right now, so no luck in the here and now."

Daisy chuckles. "Got yourself into teen pop when you were hanging out with all us millennials, did you?"

"Not so much, but someone did turn me on to grunge music, believe it or not," he shoots her that charming smile of his, undiminished by his age. "Been nice getting a chance to listen to Nirvana again after forty years." 

"Really?" Sousa challenges. "I kinda prefer Foo Fighters. Which I know are not grunge strictly speaking, but…" 

"...No," Steve responds, nodding. "But they're not bad. You know how they got their name, right?" 

"I do!" Sousa lights up and turns to Daisy. "It was a nickname for UFOs during the war, I guess Dave Grohl must have…"

"...Oh, good Lord," Peggy interrupts with an exaggerated eye roll and rises from the table. "I don't think I have the stomach just now for these two... _bonding_. I'm going to get some air. Agent Johnson, would you join me?"

Daisy's eyes go wide. "Oh...um…" she looks at her husband, who seems nearly as surprised as she is, but nonetheless nods his encouragement. "Ohhh...kay…" she smiles shyly, and follows Peggy out the back door.

"So…" Sousa says to Steve when they're finally alone. "Which one of us you think this is most awkward for?"

"You," Steve says as he sits back in his chair with a bemused smirk, wine glass in hand. " _Definitely_ you." 

********

They walk in silence for what feels like an eternity to Daisy. Down a dirt road that extends down the property back towards a large tree with a tire swing. 

"We moved out here just after we were married," Peggy finally breaks the ice. "The children used to love jumping out of the tree into their father's arms. Knowing he'd always catch them. But, I'll admit...it's been difficult. Hiding him here. Keeping him secret. Knowing he's constantly keeping secrets from _me_. I...I've lived my life around the goddamned timeline. But...I suppose you know something about that, don't you?" 

"Uh...I do, in fact." 

"Agent Johnson...are you up for a rather frank conversation? Given that you and I won't ever see each other after tonight, I mean." 

Daisy lets out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. "Well, you sure cut to the chase, don't you?" 

"I find it saves time." 

"I guess that's true," she shrugs. "Uh...sure. Hit me with your best shot."

Peggy nods. "What is your life like? In the future? With...with him…?" 

Daisy considers this. Does it even matter what she says? They'll have to erase her memory regardless, won't they? 

"It's…weird," she finally offers, with a subtle grin. "And...wonderful. We, uh…travel a lot. On missions."

"Internationally?" Peg inquires. 

"Uh...intergalactically. Actually."

Peggy stops in her tracks. "...Oh."

"...Yeah, it's a pretty strange life. For sure. Aliens and robots and all sorts of big bad. But…we're really happy. I...never actually expected to get married, honestly. To have...the kind of life you've had, or whatever. I mean, the way I grew up, it took me a long time to trust…that it would last. You know? That everything wouldn't inevitably fall apart. But he's just…he's so _solid_. He's always had my back, right from the start."

"That sounds like him." The two women smile at each other and continue walking. "I'm very happy. For both of you. That he's alive and that you found each other. It was...one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do. Leaving him and never telling him why. And when I got the news that he'd...that he'd been killed, I…I've always felt it must have been somehow my fault. I'm the one that gave him the job, after all. That abandoned him in Los Angeles. Part of me wonders...if I hadn't come back into his life he might have stayed with that nurse, been happily married. Gotten to have a life. But...seems he has, after all."

"He has. We _both_ have, against some truly insane odds."

"And I gather one...a _bit_ more exciting than what he might have had with Violet." 

"Who?" 

"The nurse."

"Ah."

"Agent Johnson…"

"Daisy. You can call me Daisy."

Peggy smiles broadly and takes her new friend's hands in hers. "Daisy. I...I want to thank you. For saving him, for giving him a new life." 

"Well, he's saved me more than once, too." 

"I imagine he has. In our day, people often underestimated him because of…"

"...What?"

"Erm...well...because of his, ah..."

"...Oh...you mean his leg?" 

"...Yes. I didn't want to ask but...how is he…?"

"Right. Uh...there have been some pretty interesting developments in prosthetics."

"Apparently so. He always dreamed of walking again. I guess he has you to thank for that, too." 

"Nah, that was my best friend's work. She's a scientist, she uh...designed and built it for him." 

"...Seems the 21st century has bred some extraordinary women." 

"S.H.I.E.L.D. has, that's for sure. I never went to the Academy, but Jemma was a superstar there. God, I can't _wait_ to tell her I met you, she is gonna totally flip her sh..." 

Peggy raises an eyebrow. 

"...Uh...stuff."

"...Perhaps I should send along an autograph," Peggy shrugs amiably.

"What, seriously?" 

"...No, that was a joke."

Daisy laughs sheepishly, and Peggy joins her a moment later.

"...I should thank _you_ , actually," Daisy says when the moment of levity tapers off.

"For what?" 

"I...I was an orphan. I never knew my parents until I grew up, and when I found them...they weren't what I'd hoped. But...S.H.I.E.L.D., it protected me, it gave me a home. A family. I wouldn't be who I am without it." 

Peggy smiles broadly, though there's still a tinge of melancholy in her voice. "Well…you're welcome, I suppose."

They continue walking in companionable silence, until they reach the top of the hill. It's a clear night, and the horizon is bright with light from the distant city. Daisy wonders if this spot has some special significance. 

"Steve would have liked to have been closer to Brooklyn," Peggy offers, as though reading her mind. "But real estate being what it is and all…" 

"I can imagine. I... _we_ bought a house not long ago. It was so strange...finally having that. Sharing a real home with someone who was actual...family. Definitely a step up from the ratty old van I used to live in." 

"I… _can't_ imagine." Peggy gazes at this rather strange woman with quiet bemusement. 

"Well, marginally nicer than camping out on the front lines during a world war, presumably."

"I suppose that depends. How were the rations?" 

"Well, I was broke and had no kitchen, so...lot of dollar menu from McDonald's." 

"Oh, that _is_ quite terrible," she snickers, and Daisy chuckles her agreement.

"...Can I just ask…" Daisy inquires after a pause. "How did you do it? All those years, running S.H.I.E.L.D. and having this whole other life at home?" 

"Well, having Steve here helped. Obviously." 

"It's just…it was hard enough, adjusting to finally having a family. But the family I found was my team. And I've spent my whole life as an Agent jumping head first into crisis after crisis, always in the thick of things. It's just so hard to wrap my head around…"

"...You're pregnant, aren't you?"

Daisy freezes, and slowly turns towards the older woman. "H...how did you…?" 

"I may be an old, retired spy, but I haven't lost my knack for reading a suspect _just_ yet."

"Is that what this is? An interrogation?" Daisy crosses her arms over her chest.

"No, not at all," she states, before tilting her head as though rethinking "...Well, perhaps just a _bit_. I have been wondering about the outfit. And those... _things_ on your arms." 

Daisy looks down, suddenly self-conscious, as though she's the underdressed one, despite the fact that her companion is standing there in her nightdress. "Oh...they're gauntlets. They protect my arms from, uh...I...I sort of have these...superpowers." 

"Yes, you mentioned...when you declined the wine. Which was my first clue, of course."

"Right," Daisy sighs. "And if... _when_ I have this kid...they might end up having powers, too…which is a whole other _completely_ overwhelming concept..." she shakes her head.

"...You haven't told Daniel, have you?" It's not a question. 

"Not yet. He just...he _worries_ so damn much. And it's going to change everything. I mean…we're not going to be jaunting off to other planets with a baby in tow. I just keep asking myself over and over...how the hell is this going to _work?_ What if he…" 

"...He'll do what's necessary. You both will. You'll take care of each other, and your child." 

"Even if it means cutting back on my work as an Agent? I mean, what we do...it's important." 

"So is raising the next generation of heroes. Don't you think?" 

Daisy scoffs at this. "I don't even have the first clue how to _do_ that. I grew up all alone, and even after I became an Agent it still felt like...like tragedy and death followed me everywhere I went." 

"I thought you said S.H.I.E.L.D. protected you." 

Daisy gulps audibly. "It did...but it didn't always go well for the people involved in making that protection possible." 

For the first time, Peggy faces her and looks her directly in the eye, as though making a concerted effort to size her up.

"What?" Daisy balks.

"...Oh, my God…" 

"What's wrong?" 

"It was you…the child...the 0-8-4...the village in Hunan…"

Daisy suddenly feels like she's been punched in the stomach. "Jesus, you really _are_ good at that, aren't you…" she says when her breath returns.

"...I ordered that mission myself. It was one of the last big things I did before I left for good." 

Daisy averts her eyes. "Then I guess I should thank you...again, I mean. And apologize." 

"Don't you _dare_. You were an infant. You were innocent. It was our job to protect you." 

Turning away, Daisy crosses her arms and looks down at her feet, fighting the tears forming behind her eyes. "It cost a lot." 

"...And it was worth it. Look what you've become. How many people have you helped? How many lives have you saved?" 

Daisy pulls herself together and says a quick thank you to the darkness, since she's quite certain she's now blushing heavily. "...I gotta be honest, this is...super weird. It's like having another work mom who also happens to be my husband's ex." 

"Well…my husband once kissed my niece, so…" 

Daisy nods absentmindedly at this, before it catches up with her. "Wait…. _what?_ "

"Please don't mention it, unless you'd like this evening to get even _more_ uncomfortable." 

"...Copy that." Daisy pulls an incredulous face she also hopes isn't noticeable in the dark of night.

"So...your powers…" 

"Ah, ummm…" Daisy looks around, then points her arm at the tire swing, sending a pulse in its direction. Against the backdrop of city lights, the whole tree shudders, and the swing moves with such force it loops itself up over the branch and around again, oscillating back and forth as the two of them look on. 

"Well," Peggy huffs. " _That's_ quite something, isn't it?" 

"Thanks," Daisy smiles. "I mean I'm no Avenger, but…" 

Just then, there's an ungodly noise, something between a screech and a rumble of thunder, and suddenly the already-faint lights are gone. They hear a few tree limbs buckle and crack, and Daisy instinctively places herself between Peggy and the disturbance...which she now sees is a growing dark cloud of sorts…

"Oh, God," she yells, raising her arms defensively. "RUN!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As much as I struggled with reconciling Steve's choice to go back at the end of Endgame, it did pave the way for Dousy (yay!) AND it helped me to rationalize something that's always bugged me: why Peggy wouldn't have been active in Tony's life after Howard and Maria died, given they more or less established that Howard was Peggy's lifelong best friend (not to mention her being close with the Jarvises who we know basically raised him). Her staying away makes sense, though, if you consider Steve knew what Tony's life was and convinced Peggy not to intervene because doing so might interfere with his journey to becoming Iron Man. 
> 
> Of course here's where we get into the main reason I wanted to write this: because as awkward as it might be for Peggy and Daisy to meet, I think they would actually ADORE each other. And appreciate all the strange ways they're tied to each other, through SHIELD, the Avengers and of course Sousa.
> 
> Sidenote: the Nirvana thing is a reference to that notebook Steve had in Winter Soldier with "Nirvana (band)" written on it. I head canon that Steve actually kind of dug it. But Sousa seems like more of a Foo Fighters guy to me. And it was a fun way to weave in trivia.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroes face down a surprise attack from a dark foe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so Peggy is 71 in this (it's 3 years after her scene in Ant Man), Cap is I guess in his 80s given all the time he spent in the 21st century (subtract 30 years from how old man Steve liked in Endgame). But he's still a super soldier, so even though he's old I'm imagining he's still a pretty spry and powerful guy.

"What _is_ that thing?" Peggy cries out. 

"Nothing good. Go!" Daisy answers.

"Like _hell_ I will. I can still fight, you know!" 

"Not _this_ you can't!" Daisy sends a blast at the black blob, which shrinks slightly as a result. Encouraged, Daisy gives it all she's got. The dark cloud appears to dissipate for a moment before coalescing into…something almost human. Slowly coming towards them.

And then it speaks…it's an unimaginable sound Daisy couldn't possibly describe even if she wanted to, a whisper and a howl and nails on a chalkboard all at the same time. She covers her ears at the cacophony. 

She can't make out the words, but sees the entity, undeterred, still making its way along the road in their direction. She manages to pry her own hands away from the sides of her head long enough to send another volley at the creature. The ground buckles slightly, and the being slows, but the assault does not stop its forward progression.

Just then, a light shines down from above her, and she feels a blast of wind, followed by the ka-chunk of a forty-ton hunk of machinery touching down on the grass.

"Get in!" she hears as Sousa rapidly approaches from behind.

"Don't have to tell me twice," she says, as she turns to motion to Peggy. The elder Agent, not missing a beat, turns and makes a beeline for the quinjet's opening cargo bay entrance.

Daisy shepherds her in, and a moment later Sousa and Cap join them. Daisy heads directly for the cockpit and pulls the stick to lift them straight up into the sky, before her husband can even shut the doors. 

When they reach a safe altitude, she exhales heavily and puts the ship on autopilot. 

"So," Cap sighs, from the co-pilot seat, where he instinctively plunked himself down. "I take it that's the thing you're trying to stop?" 

"That would be it, yes," Sousa answers. "Thank God this boat comes equipped with a homing device. I called it as soon as I heard all that racket."

"He's quick," Cap says, smiling at Daisy an nodding his head in the direction of her spouse. "I like him."

"Steve!" Peggy snaps, "How the hell can you be cheeky at a time like this?"

"Because I already know none of us die today. "Well...technically _him_ I don't know about, since the briefing I read for this mission in the future only mentioned Daisy, but I feel reasonably confident." 

"Thanks," Sousa says, rolling his eyes.

"Well...how in God's name is it even _here_?!" Peggy says with irritation. "I thought you said it was stuck inside someone who didn't pass on until your time?" 

"It's my fault," Daisy says, shaking her head mournfully. "Jemma told me that when you time travel, you sort of...bring part of your own time with you. And when I used my powers...it must have somehow attracted its attention from whatever dark dimension it belongs to." 

"But why you?" Sousa wonders. 

"Because she was with me," Peggy says matter-of-factly. "I'm the one it's been looking for. That's why it's popped up in New York and Los Angeles, my old haunts."

"You?" Cap wonders. "But why?" 

She's silent for a moment, before turning and looking Sousa dead in the eye. "Because it's Dottie." 

"D...Dottie?" Sousa stammers. "Dottie...Underwood?"

"Precisely."

"How do you know?" 

"She said my name. I heard it clear as day." 

"You did?" Daisy inquires. "All I heard was screechy horribleness." 

"I don't know, but I heard it say 'Hello, Peggy, swell to see you.'"

Sousa pulls a skeptical face. "But that doesn't mean it's…" 

"It's her."

"But…" his eyes narrow. 

"Daniel, do you remember when Whitney Frost held her captive?" 

"Sure…" 

"...She used her powers on Dottie, from the zero matter she had inside her at the time. To torture her into giving up information on me." 

"She told you this?" Sousa wonders. 

"Not in so many words, but it was clear when I found her she'd been physically harmed, and...she was afraid of Frost. I could see it in her eyes. What else could make a woman like Dottie Underwood afraid? She must have had some residual zero matter left behind afterwards. Something we couldn't detect."

"I'm sorry…" Daisy starts. "Who's Dottie Underwood?" 

"First generation graduate of the Black Widow program," Cap fills her in, as he puts an arm around his wife's waist.

"Hold on," Daisy trots over to grab her tablet. "I can't access the internet right now for obvious reasons, but I should have data on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s historical case files stored locally. Let me see…" she taps and swipes on the device, until she finds what she's looking for. "Here it is...a tracking database of suspected foreign agents. Annnd…there you are, Ms. Underwood..." She holds the thing up to the rest of the group and points to the photo. "Dottie Underwood, AKA Ida Emke, aka Priscilla Stillwell, aka Gertrude Hopkins AKA...okay, well there are a whole hell of a lot of AKAs here…and...yeah, looks like she died around the same time the incidents started." 

"...I was never able to track her down," Peggy says with evident frustration. "She eluded me my whole damn career." 

"Yeah, well, you know, eventually she got old," Daisy explains. "Says here she was found in a nursing home in 2012, suffering from Alzheimer's. They were able to cobble together a case against her, but by then...well, it looks like there wasn't much point in putting her on trial since she was bedridden and she couldn't even remember most of what she'd done. But…she apparently talked about you, Ms. Carter. A lot. There's a few shots from a journal she'd had." Daisy shows them photos of what looks like a lined composition book, scribbled with ramblings, the name Peggy scrawled here and there, and even a couple of sketches in ballpoint pen, of a face that looks remarkably like herself as a younger woman. 

"Dear Lord…" Peggy says, disturbance clear in her tone. "I knew she had a bit of a...fixation on me, but…" 

"This is a little Single White Female?" Daisy asks, then looks up as if contemplating. "Wait...has that movie come out yet?" 

Sousa looks at her with his customary glance of resigned confusion, then shakes it off. "But…it can't actually be her, right? Because there's a _real_ real her, who's alive and presumably out there right now, in _this_ time."

Daisy shakes her head. "No, it's not her, it's...a thing that spent decades inside her, soaking up whatever her weird obsession with you was. Maybe it even made that worse, it's possible this stuff affects people's mental state. I mean, everyone I've ever encountered or heard of that was affected by Darkforce seems to have been a little on the Looney Tunes side."

"...Not _everyone_ …" Peggy says, lightly chewing her thumbnail.

"Who are you thinking of?" Cap asks. 

She looks at Sousa. "Wilkes," they say in unison. 

Peggy turns to Daisy. "Agent Johnson, does this aircraft happen to have a working telephone?"

********

"Right…yes, I understand. Thank you, Jason. It was good talking to you, even under these circumstances…yes, I'll phone again soon and we'll catch up. Goodbye." Peggy hangs up the cell phone Daisy modified for her. 

"So, what did he say?" Cap asks. 

"I told him we don't have immediate access to gamma radiation just at the moment, and he informed me that other similar wavelengths might work." 

"Such as?" Sousa wonders. 

"Well…" Peggy starts. "After Howard…passed, some of his effects came to me. Things we'd always agreed shouldn't be in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s hands. Including...uh...the pod that made you, Steve."

"You mean that metal sarcophagus that dosed me with vita rays?" 

"That would be the one, yes. Unless you underwent another massive physical transformation I'm not aware of."

"That...could work," Sousa says. "But wouldn't you have to wrangle that...thing...into the pod?" 

"Just get it close," Cap says. "We can leave the pod open, Daisy and I can muscle the thing into the right spot, and set the trap off, Ghostbusters style, and then…"

Peggy jumps to cut him off. "...I…I'm not sure that's the best idea." 

"Why not?" Cap says, quizzically. 

Peggy falters, flustered, as Daisy gives her a pointed, incredulous look. Not one to wither under scrutiny, Peggy pulls herself together and stands her ground. "Agents Johnson and Sousa...they have their whole lives ahead of them. And you and I...our children are grown and gone. We've already had rich, long lives. We should be the ones in harm's way. Besides, you and I both know that I'll live to a ripe old age."

"...Only if we don't disrupt the timeline…" Cap counters. "It's a loop, which means everything has to stay just as I know it to be from living in..."

Peggy holds up her hands to stop him. "...In the future. Right, which means getting these two back in one piece."

Cap's eyebrows knit together as he looks at his wife."...Peg, she's the best fighter we have."

"Respectfully, Agent Carter," Daisy attempts to muster all the professionalism she possesses, her only weapon against the force of nature that is Margaret Alexandra Carter, Founder and Director of the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division. "I'm the only one here with powers." She looks at Cap. "I mean...powers that seem to have an affect on the...whatever it is, and that don't require me to get too close."

"All due respect to _you_ , Agent," Peggy closes the distance between herself and the other woman. "But as impressive as your powers are, they barely made a dent in that thing." 

Daisy, frustrated, does get best to maintain decorum and keep herself from bristling too much at this display of maternalism. "Look, I can take care of myself. As long as we move quickly, no one will get hurt, and we'll be out of your hair for good, okay?"

"That's not what I…"

"Hey," Sousa interrupts. "What's going on here?" He sidles up next to Cap, as the two men in tandem stare down their respective partners. 

"Nothing," the women say in unison. 

Sousa exhales, as he and Cap share a look of concern. "All right. Well, all we really have to go on here is that this thing showed up when the two of you were together, and Daisy used her powers. So we just have to recreate that...somehow. And hope we can corral this thing into the right spot. 

A lightbulb goes off in Daisy's head. "The drones!" she exclaims. 

"What drones?" Peggy wonders. 

Sousa chuckles nervously and rubs the back of his neck. "Uh...well, they were supposed to administer a sleeping agent, so we could…" 

"...Break into my home and kidnap me while asleep in bed with my husband?" she finishes. 

"Uh...yeah," he acknowledges. 

"Well, no need to be embarrassed about it. It's just what I would have done," she shrugs. 

"Right," Daisy smiles awkwardly. "But... they're equipped with cloaking fields, which use small amounts of Nitramene, which…"

"...Emits vita-radiaton," Cap finishes. When they all turn to look at him, he smirks back. "What? I do pick things up on occasion, you know."

Daisy clears her throat, nonplussed. "...Uhh...sure. Anyway, I think I can hack them to route battery power to the Nitramene matrix, which, if we position them surrounding our black smoky guest, should give us a few minutes of...an invisible fence of sorts. Which we can contract, forcing not-Dottie to head exactly where we need her."

"And then we spring the trap," Sousa finishes. 

Cap nods. "All right, I guess we have a plan."

"Cool," Daisy sighs, more than a little pleased with herself. "So...okay, I know we're not technically Avengers and all, but Cap...could you…" 

"Say the catchphrase?" he deadpans, as Daisy looks at him expectantly. 

"Please?" she says. 

He sighs, resigned. "Avengers...assemble," he quietly monotones, eye-roll implied, but belied by the slight quirk of a one-sided smile.

Daisy smiles ear to ear and does a tiny victory dance. She looks at her husband, who's subtly shaking his head with amusement. "Oh come on," she says. "Like I'm gonna pass up _that_ opportunity."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had fun writing older Steve as just a little bit of a coot. 
> 
> But he's still Captain America. So I let Daisy flirt with him/be a little starstruck. Just a smidge. 🤷


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroes build a trap, but springing it proves to be slightly more complicated than they'd hoped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter! Thanks all for your comments, I didn't really know if anyone would be interested in this whole thing, but I just really wanted to find a way for Peggy and Daisy to meet. Giving Peggy and Sousa some closure was really a bonus. But mostly it was gratifying to give Peggy a chance to see Daisy carrying on the legacy she started, while at the same time giving her advice on how to negotiate the delicate balance between work and motherhood. I liked the symmetry between Peggy the empty nester and Daisy just starting down that road. Plus the sort of immediate attachment they'd necessarily form due to the fact they're already connected in some interesting ways beyond dating the same dude. I just felt Peggy would instantly be like "yup, that's my daughter now, must protect at all cost."
> 
> Anyway it was fun. Thanks for sticking with me!

Minutes later, they find themselves in a warehouse in Brooklyn, searching through large crates and boxes. 

"Are you sure it's here?" Cap says.

"Is that doubt I hear in your voice, Steven?" is her reply. 

"No, ma'am." 

"Well then. It should be...aha!" she marches up to a shelf, where she finds the item in question. "Would you mind, darling?" she asks, as Cap nods and hoists the ponderously large wooden box up onto his shoulder. 

"Where to?" he asks. 

The other side of this building is mostly empty," she responds. 

"You want to do this here?" Daisy wonders, from behind her. 

"Why not?" she replies. "It's an industrial area, no one around this time of night. It's as good a place as any." 

"Okay then," Cap says, walking nonchalantly over towards an open area and plunking down his cargo, before ripping the front panel away with his bare hands and standing the unit upright. "Do your thing, Agents," he says when the task is complete. Daisy and Sousa get to work, as he plugs in and starts the machine and she reopens the drone case. 

"I just need a few minutes to hook my laptop up and program the drones and the…whatever that's called," she indicates the pod that facilitated the creation of Captain America, "to do what we need them to do. So when the field contracts to six feet, the pod chamber will activate, saturating the immediate area with vita rays. And we all need to be behind something when that happens. I don't suppose there's anything big made of lead here, is there?" 

"You finish up here," Peggy says. "Steve, why don't you walk the perimeter just to make sure there's no one lurking about. Daniel and I will look around for something...sturdy that might shield us." 

Everyone nods their agreement, and Sousa sheepishly follows his ex back to the side of the warehouse that's home to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s old knickknacks. 

"Thank you," Sousa says when they're alone, walking down a row of boxes in varying sizes. "I know this is a...strange and difficult situation. And I'm sorry for putting you in harm's way." 

"I was about to say the same to you," Peggy counters. "I'm the reason Dottie was exposed to Whitney in the first place, if you'll recall. I even broke her out of prison to do it." 

"I do," he acknowledges. "I also remember that I helped you with that." 

"So you did," she nods. "You were an outstanding partner." They share a knowing look, before awkwardly glancing away. 

"Thank you," he says simply. 

She stops short, "I...I feel I owe you an explanation. For leaving like I did, all those years ago…"

"No, you don't." 

"I do...it's just…when Steve showed up on my doorstep, I…"

"...Peggy…" he steps closer to her. "I understand." 

"You do?"

He gulps, and gazes down at his shoes for a moment, before steeling himself to look her in the eye. "I knew, even back in the day. That he'd always come first in your heart. I could have lived with it...then…" he trails off. 

"What is it?" 

He scratches his chin. "You and Daisy…you're very... _very_ different in a lot of ways, but…she's always reminded me of you."

"I'll take that as a compliment," she smiles broadly. "Daniel, she's... _extraordinary_. Truly. The things she's been through…I've only gotten the barest glimpse tonight of her compassion and bravery, but..." 

"...Hey, preaching to the choir, sister," he quirks a smile back.

"No, really. My God, I...I hoped for _so_ much for you, after I left. That you'd find someone who could love you the way you deserve…" 

"...The way you never could," he points out the elephant in the room. 

"I…it's not that simple," she withdraws slightly, pulling the belt of her robe tighter. 

"Sure it is. And it's okay, Peggy. He's the love of your life. I get it."

"Daniel…" 

"You know, she's got her own Steve Rogers. Of sorts." 

"What do you mean?" Peggy wonders, intrigued. 

He inhales heavily. "She loved a man, before me. Who, if you can believe it, sacrificed himself to save the world on a plane filled with bombs." 

"You're…you're joking…" she stammers, gobsmacked. 

"Does that sound like a thing I would kid around about?"

"No, obviously not, it's just...quite the coincidence."

He nods his wholehearted agreement. "When I first got to her time, got caught up on all her history, which intertwines quite a bit with S.H.I.E.L.D., by the way..." 

"...Yes, so I understand. It's such a strange thing...how interconnected all of us are," 

"...Right," he sighs. "Well…Coulson, uh, he's sort of like Daisy's father, he insisted that I watch the security camera footage. To help me understand her better. I think maybe he was testing me, too. To see how I'd react, whether I would let it get to me."

"Footage of what?"

"The last words she said to him. And his to her." 

"...Oh." Peggy recalls her own moment of tragedy…asking Steve to go dancing with her, all while knowing he was already lost.

He takes another deep breath before continuing. "Things were new, then. Between us. We were falling in love, but...still trying to figure each other out. And I'll be honest, it did make me a little insecure. He...he _died_ for her. He loved her so much he couldn't bear to watch her make the sacrifice play herself, so…he took her place. And I'm forever grateful to him, for that. But I'll admit, there was that little voice in my head, wondering...what if she really did give her heart to him and never got it back, you know? I mean...what if I can't hold a candle to _this_ guy, either?" 

"...Daniel, it...it wasn't…" Peggy struggles.

"...But...I decided she was worth taking a leap of faith on. And one day, not even a special day or anything, we were just sitting around having breakfast, and she smiled at some dumb joke I made, and she called me a dork. And I just...knew." 

"Knew what?"

"That she'd always choose me first."

"...You got all that from her calling you a…dork?" she trips slightly over this unfamiliar word. 

"I know it doesn't make a lot of sense." 

"No, it does. I realize my story with Steve is different, but...I think I always knew with him. Before he was Captain America, when he was just a young man from Brooklyn who wanted to do the right thing." 

"I guess when you know, you just…know."

"I suppose so." 

"Thing is, the fact that she was willing to try again, really try...it meant she was finally ready to forgive herself. For what happened to him. And…I guess I'm the lucky guy who was in the right place at the right time for her." He cringes at his choice of words, and she laughs wholeheartedly. "I mean…so to speak," he corrects. 

"Hey," Daisy says from behind them, startling them from their mirthful moment. "Any luck?" 

"Oh! Uh...sorry, we got sidetracked." Daniel wilts slightly under her gaze, wondering how much she just heard. 

She smiles coyly. "Well, best we get a move on."

They rummage around for a few more minutes, before finding a couple of large trunks full of assorted weaponry and bullets. Cap creates a makeshift blast wall for them out of the stacked boxes, while the others look on with admiration. 

"I take it he's mighty handy around the house," Daisy quips. 

"Indeed," Peggy affirms. "Tightly-sealed pickle jars and tubs of peanut butter quake in their very boots at his approach." 

"If you ladies are done being cute, you think we might give this thing a go?" Cap remarks.

"No prob," Daisy smiles. "Though for the record, I'm never really done being cute." 

"I have no doubt," Cap grins back. 

Peggy rolls her eyes at them. "Oh, for heaven's sake, you two flirts, let's get on with this."

"Okay," Daisy exhales, as she and Peggy move into position, in the center of the trap. She's slightly surprised when she feels the older woman's encouraging hand on her shoulder, and gives her a quick smile before proceeding. "Here goes nothing."

She aims her fingers at the floor, and gives a quick pulse, causing a jolt to all of them. When nothing happens, she does a quick exhale and tries again with a little more oomph. The large building's windows rattle, and the light fixtures sway back and forth, until they begin to dim. 

There's no warning this time, no plodding approach from a distance. In a moment, the being is right there with them, and Daisy barely has a chance to raise her still-quaking hands before she's knocked on her ass. She sees Peggy beside her, on the ground, and does her best to create a vibration barrier between the two of them and this thing. Scrambling, she attempts to right herself, to sit up at least, but the best she can muster is to prop up on one elbow. 

Ratcheting up the intensity, she sees the roof above them is starting to crack, and hastily swings her bearing arm toward Peggy, launching her out of the trap and away from danger. 

"Now!" she screams. "Just do it!"

"No!" she hears her husband's voice over the monster's din. "Not until you're out of there!"

"Daniel, get back, damn it!" Peggy screams. "You can't!" 

"She's my wife!" comes his desperate reply. 

"But it's _me_ that thing wants!"

The next few moments are a blur, as Daisy fights to hold back the entity's dark aura. But she can hear muffled yelling as the cacophony grows stronger, and her strength starts to fade. She knows she can't hold this much longer, as her vision turns grey around the edges.

"Dottie!" comes Peggy's sudden voice from beside her, strong and clear. 

Just like that, the being freezes, and withdraws slightly, but still maintains its eerie presence as it stands there, dark smoky tendrils floating around it like kelp underwater. 

Daisy marvels at Peggy's composure, as her own arms and upper body flop uselessly to the floor. She takes one quick preparatory breath before willing herself back into the fight. With great effort, she rises to her knees, then her feet, as she eyes Peggy staring down the dark beast. 

"Dottie, we've done this dance before. Perhaps we always will." 

Daisy finally hears the voice then...or at least starts to recognize the words. 

_Is this supposed to be a rescue, Peggy?_

"It was always difficult for you, wasn't it, Dot? Hating me and admiring me at the same time? You were never sure whether you wanted to kill me or save me. Or, perhaps, _become_ me? You did look lovely in my favorite red hat. Though I still maintain _I_ wore it better. So…what now? I'm right here. Which choice will you make?" She pauses, and the thing shrinks further, tentacles retracting into what's now a recognizably human form. If she didn't know better, Daisy would swear she saw a trace of red on its lips.

Peggy sighs, and takes a step to circle what's left of her nemesis. "You're still not sure, even now, I'll wager. But you've stayed away...all this time. Or should I say...gotten away? No matter how hard I tried to track you down, you were always one step ahead. And now here I am, my career behind me. And I'm not chasing you any more. And that… _that's_ why you're angry. Isn't it? The dance is over. And who are you without it? The broken girl they built into a killer? Who they disavowed, leaving you without even a purpose?"

Daisy gasps, as the black silhouette solidifies into what looks like a real, live woman. Complete with blue suit and red hat, just as Peggy described.

"Maybe you were _always_ my purpose, Peg," it says. "You and I…we were _so_ different, but still…like two sides of the same coin. Yin and yang, night and day," 

"Good and evil?" Peg prompts. "But you...you weren't _really_ evil." 

"Is this where you tell me it's not my fault, that I was just a little girl who never asked for any of this?" The entity makes a mock boo-hoo face. 

"Is that what you want to hear?"

"All I want...is what you _owe_ me." 

"Fine," Peggy says. "You win."

"Do I?" 

"Yes. I know what becomes of both of us, Dottie. And I never catch you. You run and run your whole life, long after I've given up the hunt...so in the end, you beat me. But you never have anything to show for it, _do_ you?"

"Hmm. Doesn't sound like much fun, does it?" 

"No, it doesn't. So why don't we just call this dance what it is? Over." 

Peg hazards a quick glance at Daisy, who has been slowly, quietly, carefully stepping in the opposite direction, attempting to place herself behind the new arrival. 

"So what, that's it?" Not-Dottie says. "You just gonna leave me to my own devices?" 

"No," Peggy says. "I'm leading you to somewhere you can rest. Finally." 

"And what about your new girl? The one trying to sneak up behind me?" 

Daisy and Peggy both freeze, as the woman-thing turns her head around towards Daisy, and smiles broadly, in a way that could be mistaken for genuine friendliness, in a wildly different context. Of course, in this one, it's utterly terrifying."You her little protégé? I'd watch out if I were you, Peggy has _quite_ the knack for getting herself into hot water." 

"And getting out of it," Daisy addresses the thing for the first time. "We have that in common, along with a talent for beating the hell out of psycho killers."

"Gosh, Peggy," it says, turning back towards her primary object of attention. "She's got spunk! I can see why you like her." 

"Dottie, I'm exhausted," Peggy says with a groan. "Aren't you tired as well? Don't you think it's time we put an end to all this? Don't you think it's time we both just...go home?" 

The thing's smile fades. "I don't have a home. I never did." 

"But you could," Peggy says, with empathy. "Wouldn't it be nice? To finally rest? We can help you." 

"Help me?" Dottie says, creepy grin returning to her face. "You're already helping me. All I ever wanted, really, deep down, was for you to catch me. After all, isn't that the point of the whole chase in the first place? You catch me, and before you know it, you realize _you're_ the one who's been caught." 

"How about you catch _this_?" Cap interjects, from the side, as he tosses a forklift at Dottie.

With a look of genuine surprise, the thing buckles under the weight of the machine, squishing down into a blob on the floor before popping back up and re-forming into itself again. But the moment of distraction buys enough time for him to vault himself at Peggy, shield out in front of him, picking her up and carrying her to safety.

"Now!" he screams, as Daisy unloads everything she's got at the "woman" in blue and red. 

"Daisy, move!" yells Sousa, and she does, quaking herself into the air and over not-Dottie's head, behind the barrier where Sousa, now joined by the Carter-Rogerses, quickly presses the button to activate the drones and the device. The room lights up, and they hear an unearthly howl, a call for help. Over and over, it begs for mercy as the trap constricts, and the machine does its work. When it reaches full power, the screaming suddenly stops, and there's a whooshing noise that quickly fades into nothing. Sousa switches the machine off, and the room goes dark and quiet. 

"Did we get it?" Daisy ekes out, breathless, from her position, flat on her back on the concrete floor. 

Sousa, sitting next to Cap, raises himself up to peek over the barrier. "Looks like." 

"Agent Johnson!" Peggy exclaims, slightly panicked. "Are you all right?" She helps Daisy up into a seated position, brushing her off and examining her for injuries. 

"I'm fine," she says firmly. "My suit is made to absorb shocks. Including the occasional hard landing." 

Cap turns to Sousa. "Do you know what's up with these two?" 

"You mean why is my ex picking my wife up off the floor instead of me?" 

"That's...what I mean, yeah."

Peggy and Daisy look at their spouses like deer in headlights, then back at each other.

Cap chuckles. "You know, you'd think a couple of highly trained spies would be better at keeping secrets...uh...secret."

"Well...I can't say a hundred percent what their deal is, but I can make an educated guess…" Sousa sighs and scoots over to wrap his arms around Daisy. "It's okay, baby. I figured it out a couple of weeks ago. I was just waiting for you to be ready to tell me." 

She looks at him, smiling, but before she knows what's happened, her smile caves and she realizes she's crying. And crying. And crying. She wraps her arms around him as he holds her, petting her hair back and whispering words of love and comfort in her ear.

"I'm sorry…" she blubbers. "I wanted to tell you, I know I should have told you sooner, I was just...scared." 

"I know, honey. I'm scared, too. But it's okay, we'll get through this...together."

Cap leans over to Peggy and whispers, "Just to be clear, this is about her being pregnant, right?"

"Steve!" Peggy chides. "Give them a moment, for heaven's sake." 

"Sorry…"

After a beat, she does a double-take at him. "Wait, how did you…" 

"...Future man, remember? It was kind of a big deal when Quake went on maternity leave." 

Peggy groans. "Just...tell me none of my other exes are showing up again in the near future. I don't think I can stand going through all this again." 

From her spot on the floor, Daisy chuckles through her tears. "Is it really weird that I'm glad you two are here for this?" she says to them. 

"Yes," Steve replies, simultaneously with Peggy confidently saying "No, of course not." Followed by one truly profound look of annoyance by Peggy.

Sousa shares in the laughter, and pulls back to stroke her face. "Are you okay?" he asks her. 

"Not really, no!" she vents. "A freaky smoke-lady from a dark dimension just almost killed me, and all I could think was that if...if I died…" 

"That our child would be lost, too…" he finishes. 

She nods vehemently. "Daniel...I don't want our kid to grow up alone, like I did." 

"It won't." 

"How can you be sure? Look at the stuff we do! How many times have we almost died?" 

"...Or literally died…" he acknowledges.

"Exactly." 

"But we've always come back. Daisy, look at everything we've survived. War, assassins, time-traveling robots, power-stealing murderers…"

"...My mom trying to kill me…"

"...I'm _pretty_ sure that's not something we'll need to worry about again."

"With us? Who the hell knows? And you... _you_ are most definitely the noble sacrifice kind of guy." 

"Daisy…" 

"What? Tell me I'm wrong!" 

"I'm not going to die on you. I promise."

"You can't promise that. Didn't you almost get sucked into a Darkforce rift back in the day?" 

"She's got you there, Daniel," Peggy nods, backing her new friend up.

"Hey!" Daniel objects. "Uncalled for." 

Peggy puts her hands on her hips. "I beg to differ! I'm with your wife, you've a child now, only one of you can be the big hero at a time, and I strongly advise that it be her. No offense, Daniel." 

"Uh...none taken, but…"

"Daniel...I...I can't go through that. Not again." Daisy looks at him, eyes pleading. "And I can't ever put a little kid through it, either."

He looks into her eyes, and melts. "Baby, you and I, we'll _always_ have each other. I swear to you, I will put our family first. Always. And even if God forbid we were both gone, our kid still won't be alone. They'll have May and Coulson, Mack and Yo-yo, Fitzsimmons, hell I'd be willing to bet that Deke guy would show up for you in a pinch, and he lives in an entirely different timeline."

Daisy nods and smiles at him through her tears. 

"And I mean there's Kora…" he shrugs. 

Daisy scoffs. "Uh...not to bag on my sister, but no one that's made out with Nathaniel Malick is raising my kid."

"Didn't you make out with that Ward guy that turned out to be Hydra?" Cap interjects. When they all stare at him, he shrugs. "What? I have a photographic memory and I read every report Fury ever sent me. And _that_ guy values attention to detail."

Sousa redirects his attention to Daisy. "Look, none of us know what's going to happen in the future. Except the Star Spangled Nostradamus over there, apparently. But I know in my heart that we'll be okay. Can you have faith in that, at least?"

"I'm really glad I found you." She grabs both sides of his face and kisses him, hard. 

When he pulls away, still slightly addled from the feeling of her soft lips on his, he musters "I'm really glad I got found."

********

"So you remember, right? What details to include in your debrief and what to omit?" Cap says as they're about to board the quinjet back to 2020. 

"I think we got it," Daisy says cheerily. "Thank you, Cap, I'm happy I finally got to meet you." 

"Likewise. And, uh, come say hello. After it happens in 2023."

"After what happens?" she wonders. 

"Trust me, you'll know. And don't feel bad for not being there, just...go raise your new little hero-to-be." 

Daisy shrugs. "Whatever you say, Cap." She wraps her arms around him, an oddly familiar hug for two people who've only known each other a few hours.

Sousa shakes his hand warmly, and then turns to Peggy. 

"I guess this is it," she says, giving him a farewell hug.

"Guess so."

"I'll…I'll miss you." 

"Likewise." He looks at Daisy, who nods her approval. "We, uh…our original plan was to wipe your memory before leaving." 

"Like hell you will!" Peggy reacts with fire. "If you think, Daniel Jordan Sousa, that I will just go back to thinking you're dead…" 

"...But…" he stops her. "We agreed that, uh, given you two seem to do nothing but live your lives dedicated to preserving the timeline…we figure it's not necessary."

Peggy puts a hand to her chest and exhales with relief. "Thank you, Daniel. And Daisy." She turns to embrace the younger woman. "I can't tell you how much I wish you and I could have had more time to get to know each other."

"I know exactly what you mean," Daisy says, tightening her grip. "Which somehow just makes all of this even more bizarre, but...thank you. For everything."

They say their goodbyes, and Steve and Peggy wave as the craft lifts into the air. After a moment, a glowing orb envelops the craft, and it blips out of existence. 

"Let me guess…" Peggy says. "You'll get a chance to see them again, but I won't." 

"...Yes." 

"...Their child...do you know if it's…" 

"It's a boy. They name it Phillip. Two years later they have a girl. Melinda. But that's as much as I know."

"Well, if they have a life even half as beautiful as ours, they will count themselves lucky I'm sure." 

"Come on, Peg. I'll make you breakfast and then we can go visit Sarah and the kids. I promised them I'd help them with their Science project." 

"God help them."

"Hilarious, Carter."

They enter the house, and Steve heads to the kitchen to rustle up some eggs and bacon. As per her morning routine, Peggy goes to her office to check in on whatever her successor is up to these days. She turns on her ThinkPad, and types in a name into the search bar. 

Legal name: Mary Sue Poots. Birth date: July 2, 1988, Hunan China. Status: Alive. Address: St. Agnes Orphanage, 1578 S. Hill St., New York, NY.

She sighs, closes the machine, making a mental note to send an anonymous gift for the child's birthday, even though the child itself doesn't know its own date of birth.

_Perhaps a computer…when she gets a bit older,_ Peggy thinks. _That might be a nice gift for a lonely girl with an extraordinary future._

Her guilt eats at her a bit. She wonders how much good the suffering of children like Daisy Johnson and Tony Stark really buys. Will she even be around to see that good come to pass? 

_It's not worth thinking about_ , she supposes. 

_A leap of faith_ …she thinks instead.

She shuts down her computer, waltzes back to the kitchen, and plunks down at her seat for breakfast, looking at the man she herself leapt for, all those years ago.

_Was it worth it?_ A voice inside her mind that sounds suspiciously like Dottie Underwood's asks. 

_Yes_ , she replies, in a voice of her own. _Yes, indeed it was._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so technically Steve wouldn't know for sure that he'd live that long. BUT! I saw folks were speculating that old man Steve might have been at Peggy's funeral. So let's assume Steve saw him, didn't think much of it at the time, but later when he decided to go back he put the pieces together and realized that yes, he'd always gone back to her. The way he might make the logical assumption that he'd likely still be around in 2023 and after. And frankly that's the only way his decision even makes sense, given that Steve otherwise couldn't have known he wasn't replacing some other guy as her husband.
> 
> Addendum: I couldn't help adding in this meme I made I'm sorry. I'm very sorry.


	6. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daisy and Sousa visit an old friend with their new family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt like this needed a little more to wrap up a few things. I'm sorry it's a bit tragic since it takes place after Peggy died, but canon is what it is. 
> 
> Thanks again, guys!

_Epilogue - Three Years Later_

"Shoot. Did you remember Mellie's lovey?" Daisy asks, as they unbuckle the children from the back seat. 

"Yeah, it's in the bag. And yes, there's a spare sippy cup for Phil in there, too."

"That's why I married you," she grins at him as they walk up the driveway to the house.

" _That's_ why?" he jokes. "Here I was thinking my roguish charm factored in." 

"It did not," she says without any bite. "But it didn't matter, you had me at 'trout in the milk.'"

He gives her _that_ look, and she giggles a little.

"So...should I worry about another dorky centenarian sweeping you off your feet? I mean, given we're about to visit one…"

She shrugs, gives the little boy he's holding in his arms a tickle on the belly and leans over to peck him on the lips. "Sorry, Danny Boy, but I think you're stuck with me." 

"No place I'd rather be, Quake…" 

"Oh boy," she rolls her eyes. "Don't let's start with _that_ again."

They're greeted at the door by a man who's well over a hundred by any measure, yet still surprisingly agile. He smiles warmly at their arrival and ushers them in. 

Sitting at the same table where they'd all shared the world's most awkward cup of coffee, Steve Rogers happily bounces their toddler on his lap, while Daisy nurses his infant sister. 

"She started scrapbooking in her later years, when she wasn't as mobile any more." Steve says, pulling out a thick spiral bound volume. "Have a look."

They flip through the pages, filled with newspaper clippings and photos from Daisy's early days as Quake. 

"I...can't believe she did all this," Daisy says, awed. "I mean...we only knew each other for a few hours." 

"That's true…" Cap acknowledges. "But...she took a special interest in you. I think...knowing how you'd turn out, the amazing things you'd do one day...made her feel like...like she could be sure her life's work would amount to something."

"I'm...honored," Daisy says, a little misty. "Though I feel pretty certain her legacy extends well beyond me." 

Cap shrugs. "She wasn't... _quite_ all there, towards the end. She would often...lose time. Forget things. We, uh, went back to England for a while. To be closer to her brother's side of the family. But she was so thrilled to finally see you coming into your own. She always wished she could have done more for you, growing up."

"She did plenty," Daisy places her hand over his. "And I'm grateful to her, for everything."

"Thank you, Daisy," he smiles wistfully. 

"Thank _you_." She grins back, before her eyebrows knit together and she gazes down at the bundle in her arms. "Uh oh...I think someone here needs a change." 

"Do you want me to…" Sousa starts. 

"Nah, I got it, you old fogeys chat. Be right back."

She steps into the other room then, leaving Sousa and Cap alone. They sit in silence for a few moments, before Cap takes a deep breath.

"I never...I never apologized to you, Daniel," Cap says. "For coming back. For…being the reason she…" 

"...Don't," Sousa stops him. "Things are just as they're meant to be." 

"...You never wonder?" Cap raises an eyebrow. "What would have happened if I'd made a different choice?"

"What, like I'd maybe be the old man sitting there in your chair today, and you'd be the one over here with baby spit up on his shirt?" 

"Something like that. Though for the record, I'm not sure I would ever have had the stones to ask out a woman like Daisy Johnson. Unless she's the type to make the first move, like Peg was." 

Sousa nods in understanding. "Only in consequence-free time loops, in my experience…but we don't count that one since only she remembers it."

Cap chuckles amiably. "I'll take your word for it."

"No, uh, I'll admit I needed a little push from Mack, but uh, I managed it. Eventually."

"Bravo," Cap punctuates his compliment with a nod, and holds up his glass. "To marrying amazing women."

Sousa agrees wholeheartedly and clinks their glasses together. 

"In answer to your question, though," he says after taking a sip. "I don't really think about the what ifs too much."

"No?" Cap replies.

"Nope. I think you were always going to end up with Peg. And I was always going to end up with Daisy."

"Really? What makes you say that?"

"Her friend Fitz, he spent years looking at thousands and thousands of different possible futures, trying to figure out how to beat the Chronicoms and save our timeline. And I asked him once, whether there were any of those alternate futures where Daisy and I ended up together." 

"Oh yeah?" Cap says, intrigued. "How many of them were happily ever afters?"

Sousa gives an affable shrug and one corner of his mouth cracks a smile. "...All of them. He told me that in every single future he saw, every iteration of events, that the two of us fell in love." 

A grin spreads slowly across Cap's face. "Well, I guess we can both take that as reassurance. That we did okay." 

"Yeah," Sousa sighs. "Yeah, I think we did. And it must be a relief for you, huh?"

"How so?"

"To know…being done with all those secrets...all those things you must have wanted to go fix, but couldn't…"

"...Like Howard and Maria..." 

"...and Hydra…"

"...and Bucky...and Tony…" 

Sousa clears his throat. "I'm sorry you had to go through that." 

"Thank you." 

"...So what's it like, now? Not being able to see the future any more?" 

"It's nice. Of course, I miss...I miss her... _very_ much. But...it's nice. To see all of you. Everyone so young, their lives ahead. I've got eleven great grandchildren, you know." 

"That's...a lot," Sousa chuckles. 

"The more, the merrier, I say," he looks down at the child still in his lap, who's been busily drinking his cup of milk and looking curiously at his new companion. "What do you think, little man? You and your sister want to be honorary Carters? Make us a baker's dozen?" 

Phillip, for his part, removes the cup from his mouth and starts singing "Wheels on the Bus."

"I think that means 'yes,'" Sousa deadpans. "And, uh, given we've a slight grandparent shortage in our family, _I_ wouldn't mind, either."

"Well, I'll make you a deal," Cap nods. "You can bring these two around to see Grampa Steve whenever you like, if you promise to have a cup of coffee with Bucky once in a while." 

"Oh…?" Sousa says with surprise. "Uh, sure. But...why me? I've never even met him."

"There aren't many of us left...who fought in the war. Who lived through all that. And I only know of two that aren't, uh…" he pauses, biting his lip.

"...You were gonna say walking with a cane, weren't you?" 

"Sorry," Cap pulls a face. "But...you know what I mean. In a couple decades, you two are gonna be the only ones left…" 

"...That remember the not-so-good old days. Yeah. I hear you." 

Cap nods at him. 

"...I'd be happy to," Sousa agrees, reaching out to pat Cap on the shoulder. 

"Thank you, Daniel. Now…as for _you_ , little man," Cap addresses the little boy on his lap, who has grown increasingly squirmy throughout the course of the conversation. "Grammy Peg left you and your sister a small mountain of toys. Care to have a look?" 

The child nods excitedly and slides off Cap's lap onto the floor, waiting patiently for his newly-minted Grampa to lead him to the alleged playtime bounty. 

Daisy reenters then, handing Melinda off to her husband while watching the youngster and old man toddle off. 

"What did you guys talk about?" she wonders as she sits down.

"Oh, you know. Old fogey stuff." 

"Couple of square peas in a pod, you two…" 

"No argument here." 

She chuckles and leans her head against his shoulder, admiring the now-sleeping baby he's holding. 

"Hey, Daisy?" he asks. 

"Yeah?" she replies. 

"Thanks." 

"For what?" 

"Saving my life. And giving me one."

She wraps her arms around him. "Back at you, my love."


End file.
